The present invention relates to a ratchet socket wrench, and more particularly, to an improved wheel mounting arrangement of a ratchet socket wrench which is easy to manufacture, and can be rapidly installed.
A variety of ratchet socket wrenches for turning hexagon head bolts and hexagon nuts has appeared on the market. FIGS. 1 to 3 show a ratchet wheel mounting arrangement of a ratchet socket wrench according to the prior art, wherein a ratchet wheel is mounted within a box end at one end of the wrench and secured in place by a C-shaped clamp and a cover plate. A spring is mounted in the box end. A toothed arch block is mounted within the box end is and forced by the spring into engagement with the ratchet wheel to limit rotary motion of the ratchet wheel inside the box end to one direction. The ratchet wheel has an annular groove around the periphery, and a plurality of teeth equiangularly spaced around the annular groove. The toothed arch block is mounted in a recessed hole inside the box end of the wrench, having a projecting rod raised from a back side thereof. The spring is mounted inside the recessed hole in the box end of the wrench and connected between the projecting rod of the toothed arch block and inside wall of the recessed hole. Because the teeth of the ratchet wheel are formed at the annular groove around the periphery (see FIGS. 16 to 18), the fabrication process of the ratchet wheel is complicated. The processing process of the recessed hole in the box end of the wrench is also complicated (see FIG. 11). Furthermore, the tooth arch block tends to be forced away from the spring. FIGS. 5 and 6 show another ratchet wheel mounting arrangement according to the prior art. This arrangement has the same drawbacks.
The present invention has been accomplished to provide a ratchet wheel mounting arrangement for a ratchet socket wrench which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. According to one aspect of the present invention, the box end of the wrench has a smoothly arched notch axially extended to the topmost edge of the inside wall thereof for receiving the toothed arch block, and a blind hole in the smoothly arched notch for receiving the spring, permitting the toothed arch block to be forced by the spring into positive engagement with the ratchet wheel. According to another aspect of the present invention, the teeth of the ratchet wheel are arranged around the peripheral wall thereof, and the height of teeth on the toothed front side of the toothed arch block is approximately equal to that of the teeth on the ratchet wheel.